On-the-Field
Accounting Errors (1945-1990) Impact Hundreds of Players
Running back Brent Fullwood made his
first NFL start on Nov. 29, 1987.
The NFL owes him a catch from that game.
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The date: November 29, 1987. The venue: Soldier Field.
The Packers (4-5-1) and Bears (8-2) were meeting for the 135th
time that afternoon. Chicago was looking to increase its lead over the Vikings (7-4)
in the NFC Central Division. Green Bay was hoping to knock off its arch-rival
for the first time in three years.
Chicago prevailed, 23-10. Kevin Butler kicked three field goals, and
Thomas Sanders scored on a 7-yard run as the Bears reeled off the game’s final
16 points.
But that’s not our concern. Instead, we focus on Brent Fullwood, the
Packers first-round draft choice that year.
Fullwood was making his first NFL start in place of the injured Kenneth
Davis (ankle). The former Auburn Tiger
was Green Bay’s third-leading rusher with 196 yards.
In seven games, he had yet to catch a pass.
That changed late in the first quarter in Chicago. Split out wide,
Fullwood advanced 12 yards on a short toss from quarterback Randy Wright.
Early in the third quarter, the running back again turned receiver.
This time, Fullwood scooted 10 yards with a dump-off from Wright.
That’s two catches for 22 yards. The rookie should have led the team in
scrimmage yards with 86.
Incorrect, says the NFL. Check out the gamebook available at NFL GSIS.
Fullwood is given credit for just one reception, that his first-quarter effort.
So, was this faux pas involving Fullwood an isolated mistake? Was it an
aberration?
Not even close.
Over the years, hundreds of errors were made those responsible for
documenting the action on the field. That
everything wasn’t kosher became apparent to me as I transcribed hundreds of
play-by-plays into Publisher and then into Excel.
When I began my research in the late 1980s, I thought everything would
add up. If a player was said to have gained x yards, then x yards he would have
gained.
How naïve was I?
Now, I’m not disparaging those in the press box. Everyone is fallible. Certainly,
I’ve made my share of mistakes.
But I struggle to understand some of these blunders. Especially
difficult to fathom are those—such as the one in Chicago 33 years ago—that occurred
under the lights of television.
Ryan, his partner Joe Theismann, and millions more witnessed Fullwood make
the second catch of his young career in that third quarter. Yet those in the
press box either ignored the play and instead let stand an earlier reception by
wideout Phillip Epps – one wiped out by penalty – or they assigned to Epps what
should have been Fullwood’s.
Either way, they got it wrong. Why a reporter, a public relations individual
or even a fan failed to point that out remains a mystery.
Dorothy Mann didn’t remain quiet. She spoke up on that final weekend of
regular-season games in 1949.
Sitting in the stands
at Briggs Stadium, the young woman tracked the progress of Detroit receiver Bob
Mann. She carefully wrote down each catch her husband made.
When the Lions declared Mann had caught eight passes that day, she was
adamant he had snared nine.
A review of the play-by-play ensued. Dorothy was right. A change was
made.
Paul Zimmerman didn’t hold his tongue, either. A longtime writer for
Sports Illustrated, Dr. Z was anything but shy.
“Vikings-Steelers Super Bowl,
1975,” he wrote in a letter to me in 2006. “I’m getting myself together to
write. I look at the stats. They’re wrong.”
Zimmerman took the time to point out a mistake had been made. He approached
Seymour Siwoff, the head of the Elias Sports Bureau.
“He scoffs, as usual,” Dr. Z continued. “I try to show him where
they’re wrong. Deadline time, post-SB is a heavy pressure occasion for all
parties concerned, and Seymour is even more hysterical than usual.”
Siwoff asks Zimmerman to leave him alone. Dr. Z says he will, as soon
as the official stats are corrected.
Siwoff threatens to call security. Zimmerman says he’s not moving.
Finally, Siwoff takes a look. A minus-two rushing by the Vikings had
been recorded as a plus-two giving Minnesota 21 yards for the game instead of
the correct 17.
“Seymour’s face got pale,” Zimmerman recalled. “‘Jesus Christ,’ he
said. I returned to my seat. No more words were spoken.
“I waited for the announcement that would begin, ‘Attention press.’ It
came about five minutes later. ‘Attention press, there is a change in the
statistics…’”
According to Dr. Z, Seymour never said another word to him. No thanks.
Nothing.
“What I should have done,” Dr. Z related, “was just shrugged and
written about the f***-up and let him and his arrogant f****** crew swing in
the breeze on the waves of ridicule.”
That’s how Dr. Z handled inaccuracy. We’ll take a different tack here.
As I’ve said, I’ve uncovered oodles of errors in the last 30-plus years.
What to do with them?
After thinking about it for a number of years and taking ample time to
ensure the league erred and not I, I decided to publish what I found. Click HERE to view the entire list.
My intent is twofold: to provide an idea of how many mistakes exist,
and to show the various types of gaffes that were made.
The list covers the years from 1945 through 1990, but it is not
complete. I do not have official play-by-plays and/or film for every Packers games
from that 46-year span. My compilation includes only what I discovered given
the resources I have.
In many cases, the NFL and I are off by one yard, or one carry or one
whatever. Sometimes the differences are more pronounced.
In one instance, a pair of all-time bests is at stake. And, after
nearly 70 years, it’s time to set that record straight.
Jack Christiansen played eight seasons (1951-58) for the Lions. The
defensive back and return specialist was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in 1970.
As a rookie, Christiansen became the first player to return two punts
for touchdowns in the same game. He did this against the Packers on
Thanksgiving Day 1951.
The NFL claims Christiansen returned four punts for 175 yards (43.75
average) on that holiday. A review of the official play-by-play and one kept by
Green Bay Press-Gazette sports editor Art Daley make it clear Christiansen had
only three returns.
The Packers punted four times against the Lions. Jug Girard kicked
three times and Fred Cone once.
Christiansen traveled 15 yards with Girard’s second boot. He zipped 71
yards for a touchdown with Girard’s third.
He then closed out Detroit’s scoring by racing 89 yards to pay dirt
with Cone’s only punt as a professional.
But what of Girard’s first punt?
“Girard punted from his own 42 out of bounds on the Lion 14,” reads the
official play-by-play. “Girard Punt OB – on 14,” Daley wrote in his notebook.
A punt out of bounds means Christiansen had only three returns. That,
is huge.
With three—not four returns—Christiansen is the rightful owner of
two NFL records: highest punt return average in a game and highest punt return
average in a career. With one fewer return, Christiansen (58.33) moves ahead of
Darius Reynaud (53.33) for game honors.
With one fewer return, Christiansen (12.90) moves ahead of George McAfee (12.78) for career honors.
Both records should have been Christiansen’s from the moment Detroit finished waxing Green Bay 52-35.
With one fewer return, Christiansen (12.90) moves ahead of George McAfee (12.78) for career honors.
Both records should have been Christiansen’s from the moment Detroit finished waxing Green Bay 52-35.
So, do I expect Christiansen to one day get his due? Do I expect the
league to look at what I have brought to light and make changes?
Seriously? I’m not that naïve.
I'm glad that you are bringing this issue up. I've been keeping track of Miami Dolphins' statistics as a hobby for years, and I've noticed similar discrepancies. It would be great if the NFL and Elias Sports Bureau would make a concerted effort to go through the records and locate and clean up any errors. But I'm not holding my breath that this will happen either.
ReplyDeleteGreat in depth piece, Eric!
ReplyDeleteEric, as always, amazed at your dedication to detail (and willingness to chronicle it....like kaimac, I (at least once upon a time.....before my team was stolen by the Irsays) kept track of Baltimore Colts stats....when I was in high school in the 70s I spent one summer typing up 3x5 cards in every statistical category available in their media guides....imagine my teenage astonishment to find that they had a number of numbers wrong, including listing Bert Rechicar as the all-time punt return yardage leader when it was (then) actually Alvin Haymond….most egregiously, the team's "all time roster" did not include one Nat Craddock, a fullback from Parsons College who had a rush from scrimmage for a yard gain in 1963! I dutifully wrote the team and got a response from the media people (no doubt rolling their eyes over egg-salad sandwiches at lunch) thanking me for pointing the errors and oversights out to them and informing me (probably tongue in cheek) to let them know if anything else came to my attention.....pro football has an amazing and fascinating history....the Colts leaving Baltimore with all that team meant to the city and football history is one of its saddest (and needless) chapters
ReplyDeletefor the record, back then Bert had 844 yards and Alvin 926....the things one carries around in one's head....
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Eric. Love your dedication to clarifying the game's history. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the piece Bill James wrote many years ago, excoriating Elias Sports Bureau for their incompetence, overarching greed and secrecy.
ReplyDelete